Ranunculus alismifolius
common water plantain buttercup, kidney-leaf buttercup, plantain-leaf buttercup, water-plantain buttercup
slender or fusiform-thickened basally, glabrous.
erect or ascending, not rooting nodally, glabrous or hirsute.
basal leaf blades with base acute;
proximal cauline leaf blades lanceolate, ovate, or elliptic, 1.8-14.1 × 0.7-2.9 cm, base acuminate to rounded, margins entire or serrulate, apex obtuse to acuminate.
bracts lanceolate.
receptacle glabrous;
sepals 5, spreading or reflexed from base, 2-6 × 1-4 mm, glabrous or hirsute;
petals 5-12, 5-14 × 2-8 mm;
nectary scales glabrous.
hemispheric to globose, 3-7 × 4-8 mm;
achenes 1.6-2.8 × 1.2-2 mm, glabrous or rarely hispid;
beak lance-subulate, straight or weakly curved, 0.4-1.2 mm.
Ranunculus alismifolius
Varieties 6 (6 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Petals 7–12 on most flowers, 2–3 mm broad. | var. montanus |
1. Petals 4–6(–8), 2–8 mm broad. | → 2 |
2. Stems 3.5–8 mm thick; leaf margins serrulate. | var. alismifolius |
2. Stems 1–3 mm thick; leaf margins entire. | → 3 |
3. Leaf blades ovate or elliptic. | var. alismellus |
3. Leaf blades broadly to narrowly lanceolate. | → 4 |
4. Petals 10–14 mm; California and Nevada. | var. lemmonii |
4. Petals 5–8 mm; widespread. | → 5 |
5. Roots fusiform-thickened proximally; stems and petioles glabrous or pubescent. | var. davisii |
5. Roots not or scarcely fusiform-thickened proximally; stems and petioles glabrous. | var. hartwegii |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
